Bitcoin Named Worst-Performing Currency of 2014

If Bitcoin received a year-end grade for value, it would be a giant F.

While Bitcoin buzz and adoption experienced a healthy growth spurt in 2014, its value in U.S. dollars did the opposite. The virtual currency was the worst-performing currency of the year, plummeting by more than 56 percent since January and 72 percent since last November, according to Bloomberg. Bitcoin fared worse in the last 12 months than even Russia's ruble, which plunged 42 percent this year.

Read more...  http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241306

Visa, MasterCard pull bank-card support in Crimea

he world's two largest credit and debit card companies, Visa and MasterCard, said on Friday they could no longer support bank cards being used in Crimea, following U.S. sanctions imposed earlier this month.

The United States last Friday prohibited U.S.-registered companies from investing in Crimea or providing services to firms operating there, among sanctions imposed over Russia's annexation of the peninsula from Ukraine.

Read more... http://www.cnbc.com/id/102296607

Fact Check: Brnovich on medical-marijuana cardholders

WHO SAID IT: Mark Brnovich. 
TITLE: Arizona attorney general-elect.  PARTY: Republican.

THE COMMENT: "In Arizona, we legalized marijuana for medical purposes and the results of that apparently are that there are a bunch of 18- to 25-year-old males with back problems and migraine headaches because that's who's getting the cards, most of them."

THE FORUM: Nov. 22 interview on AZTV's (Channel 13) "The 48th."

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT: Whether Brnovich correctly characterizes the demographic makeup of Arizona medical-marijuana cardholders.

ANALYSIS: Marijuana advocates have begun preparing for a 2016 ballot initiative that would legalize recreational marijuana in Arizona. The initiative would ask voters to approve a law similar to Colorado's, which allows those  21 years old and older to purchase and use up to 1  ounce of the drug at a time.

Read more... http://azc.cc/16NVTyI

Hong Kong Democracy Protest Leaders Surrender To Police

HONG KONG, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Leaders of Hong Kong's Occupy Central movement surrendered to police on Wednesday for their role in democracy protests that the government has deemed illegal, the latest sign that the civil disobedience campaign may be running out of steam.

Three founders turned themselves in a day after calling on students to retreat from protest sites in the Asia financial center amid fears of further violence, just hours after student leader Joshua Wong had called on supporters to regroup.

Read more...  http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/6258900?ir=World&utm_campaign=120314&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Alert-world&utm_content=Photo

Hong Kong Student Leaders Arrested As Police Move On Protest Site

HONG KONG, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Hong Kong police on Wednesday arrested Joshua Wong and Lester Shum, two of the student leaders at the heart of pro-democracy protests that have shaken the Asian financial hub since August, and began swiftly clearing a major demonstration site.

Riot police scuffled with protesters trying to resist attempts to force them off the streets of the gritty Mong Kok district following clashes overnight, Reuters witnesses said.

Read more...  http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/6223116?ir=World&utm_campaign=112614&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Alert-world&utm_content=Title

Gold, Silver Rise to Three-Week Highs on China Interest-Rate Cut - Bloomberg

Gold and silver futures rose to three-week highs after China cut benchmark interest rates to support economic growth, boosting demand for precious metals as a store of value. Palladium jumped the most in 14 months.

The rate reduction was the first since July 2012 as the Asian nation heads toward its slowest full-year expansion in almost a quarter century. Russia added to gold reserves in October, bringing holdings to the highest in at least two decades, International Monetary Fund data showed.

Read more...  http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-21/gold-heading-for-longest-stretch-of-weekly-increases-since-july.html

China Central Bank PBOC Cuts Interest Rates - WSJ

BEIJING—China's central bank succumbed to political and market pressure and cut interest rates for the first time in more than two years, in a sign that the country's leadership is leaning toward more sweeping measures to bolster flagging economic growth.

The surprise move by the People's Bank of China late Friday comes after a series of piecemeal easing measures that failed to encourage banks to lend and companies to borrow. Several economic indicators—from investment growth to factory production to retail sales—showed weakness last month. Economists say China could miss its annual growth target—set at about 7.5% for 2014—for the first time since the 1998 Asian financial crisis.

Read more... http://m.wsj.com/articles/china-central-bank-pboc-cuts-interest-rates-1416567408?mobile=y

NAR: Realtors Should be Aware of Potential Impact of Marijuana Laws

More than half of the nation's one million real estate agents reside in jurisdictions with laws that allow for medical or recreational use of marijuana, which conflicts with federal law and has potential impacts on all types of real estate transactions, from residential and commercial brokerage to property management and leasing.

That's according to panelists at the National Association of Realtors' "Medical Marijuana Laws Impact all Real Estate Transactions" session during the 2014 REALTORS Conference & Expo. While NAR has no policy or position on the issue, it's important for agents nationwide to be up-to-date on the laws in their jurisdiction since there could be legal and financial implications for their real estate-related transactions and the clients they are helping buy, sell or lease properties.

Read more...  http://www.nationalmortgageprofessional.com/news66167/nar-realtors-should-be-aware-potential-impact-marijuana-laws

Investors Nervous About Scottish Independence

With just nine days to go before the vote on Scottish independence, major global investors are withdrawing billions of pounds from the U.K. economy over fears Scotland may vote "yes" to becoming an independent country. The capital outflow has been as high as 12 billion pounds ($20 billion) from the country so far this year, according to figures from Societe Generale SA (EPA:GLE), which has raised concerns over how international markets could react once Scotland votes Sept. 18.

Read more... http://www.ibtimes.com/how-scottish-independence-would-affect-financial-markets-1683354?ft=l181c

ECB's Draghi Takes a Gamble on QE-lite - WSJ

It was a watershed moment. All year, the European Central Bank has faced growing pressure—from governments, markets, the mainstream economics establishment, the International Monetary Fund—to embark on a large-scale government bond-buying program. And all year, the ECB had resisted, arguing repeatedly that quantitative easing would yield little benefit in the eurozone's bank-centric, structurally challenged economy and warning of the political and moral hazard that would arise as a result of exposing the ECB balance sheet directly to sovereign credit risk.

Read more... http://online.wsj.com/articles/ecbs-draghi-takes-a-gamble-on-qe-lite-1410121204

World Bank warns of global jobs crisis

Sydney (AFP) - The world is facing a global jobs crisis that is hurting the chances of reigniting economic growth and there is no magic bullet to solve the problem, the World Bank warned on Tuesday. In a study released at a G20 Labour and Employment Ministerial Meeting in Australia, the Bank said...

Read more...http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-world-bank-warns-of-global-jobs-crisis-2014-9

What Is The Difference Between ISIS And Hamas?

Two terrorist organizations have been thrust into the media limelight this summer: Hamas and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, which now calls itself simply Islamic State. President Barack Obama used the word "barbaric" to describe both groups on two separate occasions this week.

On the first occasion, the president made his fiercest condemnation of Hamas since the beginning of "Operation Protective Edge," accusing the government of Gaza of violating a cease-fire and capturing an Israeli soldier. On the second occasion, he made reference to Islamic State's stated desire to eliminate the Yazidi people, a minority group in Iraq, from the planet.

Read more... http://www.ibtimes.com/what-difference-between-isis-hamas-1653782

Marijuana Goes Mainstream

In recent years, American social policy became a very sticky subject. Issues ranging from gay marriage to gun ownership are hotly politicized, and candidates seeking office cannot hope to win without offering their stance on matters of personal freedom. Pot is a complicated story. Long considered...

http://inside.flipboard.com/2014/08/01/the-week-in-review-marijuana-goes-mainstream/

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A Toast? How About a Toke?

Earlier this month, when Ellen Epstein arrived at the Devil's Thumb Ranch in Tabernash, Colo., for the wedding of her friends Lauren Meisels and Bradley Melshenker, she, like the other guests, found a gift bag waiting for her in her hotel room. But rather than a guide to activities in the area or a jar of locally made honey, the canvas bag contained a rolled joint, a lighter and lip balm infused with mango butter and cannabis, along with this note: "We wanted to show you some of the things we love the best."

She knew then that the wedding of her fellow Boulder residents would be just a little different from the ones she had attended in the past.

Read more... http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/fashion/marijuana-wedding-guest-colorado-and-washington-state.html?_r=1&referrer=

EU sanctions plan threatens to shut Russia out of world financial system

Here is the EU sanctions document under furious debate today, courtesy of our Brussels correspondent, Bruno Waterfield. Proposed sanctions Note the heading "Non paper". It is leaked, not authorised. This is a menu of options. It requires unanimous backing of the 28 ambassadors. Any one country ca...

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/finance/ambroseevans-pritchard/100027714/eu-sanctions-plan-threatens-to-shut-russia-out-of-world-financial-system/

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Iran Unveils New High-Tech Drone Based On Obama's 'Gift' In 2011

Question Of The Day: When this drone was "captured" by Iran back in 2011, Obama could have immediately order that it be remotely destroyed through satellite and stealth technology so Iran could not have used it. So why didn't he?

Iran has unveiled its own copy of an American stealth drone it captured in late 2011, claiming to have cracked the "secrets" of the bat-wing craft and added weapons capabilities. Today, Fars News Agency reported that while Iran's duplicate of the US RQ-170 Sentinel drone was smaller, it also had a "bombing capability to attack the US warships in any possible battle." The story in Persian was headlined: "America's nightmare has become reality."  State television showed footage on Sunday it said was of a US aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf filmed by an Iranian drone.

Read more... http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/blog/?p=21177

Marijuana edibles burgeoning into an industry

The proliferation of marijuana edibles for both medical and recreational purposes is giving rise to a cottage industry of baked goods, candies, infused oils, cookbooks and classes that promises a slow burn as more states legalize the practice and awareness spreads about the best ways to deliver the drug.

Read more...http://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/2014/07/18/marijuana-edibles-burgeoning-into-an-industry/12868363/

Bitcoins Can’t Shake Bubble Image in Poll After 45% Drop

Bitcoins, which lost 45 percent of their value after skyrocketing to more than $1,100 last year, are poised to tumble further, according to the latest Bloomberg Global Poll of financial professionals.

Fifty-five percent of those surveyed said the virtual currency trades at unsustainable, bubble-like prices, according to the quarterly poll of 562 investors, analysts and traders who are Bloomberg subscribers. Another 14 percent said it's on the verge of a bubble. Only 6 percent of respondents said a bubble isn't forming. The remaining 25 percent were unsure.

Read more...http://bloom.bg/1l9PSga

Next Gold Rush: Legal Marijuana Feeds Entrepreneurs’ Dreams

DENVER — Like the glint of gold or rumors of oil in ages past, the advent of legal, recreational marijuana is beginning to reshape economies in Colorado and Washington State. Marijuana is beckoning thousands of entrepreneurs and workers, investors and hucksters from across the country, each looki...

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/19/us/new-gold-rush-legal-marijuana-feeds-entrepreneurs-dreams.html

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Dell becomes largest retailer to accept bitcoin payments

Gigaom's Derrick Harris said last year that Dell, upon going private, "should let its freak flag fly and take some real risks to distinguish itself from the service-vendor pack." Bitcoin wasn't on Derrick's list of ideas for Dell, but Friday's announcement that the computer giant has partnered wi...

http://gigaom.com/2014/07/18/dell-becomes-largest-retailer-to-accept-bitcoin-payments/

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Fighting escalates in Israel

JERUSALEM — Israel launched its largest offensive in the Gaza Strip in nearly two years, carrying out a blistering aerial assault Tuesday on scores of targets and killing 19 people in what officials called an open-ended operation aimed at ending weeks of heavy rocket fire. As Gaza militants unlea...

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/07/israel-palestine-air-strikes-108678.html

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Winklevoss Price Ticker Makes Debut on Bloomberg

The Winklevoss' bitcoin price index, the 'WinkDex', has made its first appearance on Bloomberg. Listed on the platform under WINKBTCO, the move is an important step for the young index, launched earlier this year.In a brief blog post the team say they are honoured to be working with Bloomberg to ...

http://www.coindesk.com/winklevoss-price-index-makes-debut-bloomberg/

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FEC allows political groups to accept bitcoin donations - Los Angeles Times

The Federal Election Commission ruled unanimously Thursday that certain political committees can accept contributions in bitcoins, a digital currency that has gained traction among free-market advocates but drawn criticism for making it easier to sell drugs online.

The decision allows political action committees involved in federal elections to take bitcoin contributions, as long as the donors identify themselves.

The FEC's action adds some legitimacy to the controversial online currency but leaves key questions unanswered, including the maximum amount of a bitcoin contribution and whether the committees can use bitcoins to make purchases.

The limited ruling aimed to “give some guidance to the community … that is not going to raise some of the bigger issues that might accompany a bitcoin transaction,” said Ann Ravel, a Democrat who is the commission's vice chairwoman.

Read more...FEC allows political groups to accept bitcoin donations - Los Angeles Times

Who's the Obamacare quack?

Who's the Obamacare quack?

Bitcoin's promise: a financial revolution the web's been waiting for | Reuters

 

(Reuters) - Bitcoin may not be the messiah of a new currency its hardcore fans yearn for, but it may herald the deeper financial revolution the internet has been waiting for.

While computers and smartphones have brought the web to more than a third of the world's population, online commerce still largely depends on a banking system that has changed little over recent decades, some of it relying on computer code written before the web was born.

The growing interest in bitcoin, a digital currency that requires no centralized body to handle transactions, is beginning to change all that.

Read more...Bitcoin's promise: a financial revolution the web's been waiting for | Reuters

Feds allow banks to do business with marijuana shops, industry still nervous | Fox News

The Obama administration took the unprecedented step Friday of clearing the way for banks to do limited business with marijuana sellers, releasing guidelines for how financial institutions can work with pot shops in states where it's legal.

The move immediately was greeted with relief from the budding marijuana industry. Before the guidance, banks largely had avoided the new pot shops in Colorado for fear of federal prosecution -- leaving marijuana sellers running cash-only operations.

"This is a huge victory for our members, our communities, and the banks that take this opportunity to serve a thriving new market," National Cannabis Industry Association director Aaron Smith said in a statement. "No legitimate business should be forced to manage its payroll, taxes, utility bills, and licensing fees entirely in cash."

Read more...Feds allow banks to do business with marijuana shops, industry still nervous | Fox News

Few eligible patients can get weight loss surgery

WASHINGTON (AP) — Like 78 million other Americans, MaryJane Harrison is obese.

And like many critically overweight Americans, Harrison cannot afford to have weight loss surgery because her health insurance doesn't cover it. The financial burden makes it nearly impossible for her to follow the advice of three physicians who have prescribed the stomach-shrinking procedure for Harrison, who is four-feet, 10 inches and weighs 265 pounds.

Harrison's health insurance plan, provided by UnitedHealth, excludes coverage of any surgical procedures for weight loss. As a result, she and her family are trying to raise $15,000 to pay for the surgery that she thinks will save her life.

Read more...Few eligible patients can get weight loss surgery

Pot-dispensary zoning eased

The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a zoning ordinance allowing medical-marijuana dispensaries in Maricopa County’s unincorporated areas, winding down more than two years of resistance in the face of an adverse Superior Court order.

Maricopa County previously had a zoning classification that blocked medical-marijuana dispensaries within the county’s jurisdiction. The county stood firm on that policy despite voter approval of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act in 2010, which put the state’s medical-marijuana program into effect in many Valley cities.

Read more...Pot-dispensary zoning eased

Obama, Ukraine's PM warn Russia as Crimea heads for vote - CNN.com

Simferopol, Ukraine (CNN) -- U.S. President Barack Obama and Ukrainian interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk had strong words for Russia on Wednesday as Washington again warned Moscow there will be consequences if it doesn't remove its troops from Crimea and Kiev said that it will "never surrender."

But Yatsenyuk also said after his meeting with Obama at the White House that Ukraine, a former Soviet Republic, wants to be good friends with Russia.

Read more...Obama, Ukraine's PM warn Russia as Crimea heads for vote - CNN.com

Scottsdale City Council OKs Airpark medical-marijuana kitchen

The Scottsdale City Council narrowly agreed to allow a medical-marijuana kitchen in the Scottsdale Airpark, two months after turning down the request.

The council on Jan. 14 granted a conditional-use permit to Pure Bliss Premium Medibles and Topicals, which is the trade name for a line of marijuana-infused goods ranging from brownies to pot pies, according to its website.

The facility, near Hayden and Redfield roads, will prepare foods infused with marijuana and sell them wholesale to medical-marijuana dispensaries, a city report said.

The kitchen will be closed to the general public.

Read more...Scottsdale City Council OKs Airpark medical-marijuana kitchen

Credit cards squeamish about charging pot

Can you use plastic to pay for weed? Card processors and peddlers aren't entirely sure, thanks to lack of guidance from the government.

The sale of marijuana for recreational use became legal in Colorado and Washington Jan. 1. For a market that has traditionally

dealt in cash payments, the new laws have left open the question of whether dispensaries will be able to accept credit and debit cards the same as any other business.

Read more...Credit cards squeamish about charging pot

Kerry Warns Russia of Possible Eviction From G-8 - NYTimes.com

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State John Kerry warned on Sunday that Russia risked eviction from the Group of 8 industrialized nations if the Kremlin did not reverse its military occupation of Crimea in Ukraine.

“He is not going to have a Sochi G-8,” Mr. Kerry said on the NBC program “Meet the Press,” referring to the meeting of the industrialized nations that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia is to host in June. “He may not even remain in the G-8 if this continues.”

“He may find himself with asset freezes on Russian business,” Mr. Kerry added. “American business may pull back. There may be a further tumble of the ruble. There’s a huge price to pay.”

Read more...Kerry Warns Russia of Possible Eviction From G-8 - NYTimes.com

Medical marijuana purity under a microscope

PHOENIX - Hunched over a microscope, Steve Cottrell peered at a bud from a plant that is increasingly used as medicine in Arizona and across the nation.

He pointed at a computer screen that glowed with a magnified image of the marijuana bud. The sample, the size of a quarter, was covered with powdery white bumps - a mold that was invisible to the naked eye.

Increasingly, medical-marijuana dispensaries and patients are turning to laboratories to evaluate medical-marijuana plants, identify potentially harmful substances and pinpoint the potency of plants and cannabis-infused products, from caramels and "cherry roll" candies to butter.

Read more...Medical marijuana purity under a microscope

Arizona pot advocates set sights on ’16 ballot initiative

Supporters of an effort to legalize marijuana in Arizona this year see their chances fading, an organizer told The Arizona Republic last week, even as thousands of Colorado residents lined up to buy pot from the nation’s first recreational-marijuana shops.

Many Arizona marijuana advocates hope to replicate Colorado’s model of regulated pot for recreational use, but it likely won’t happen in 2014 as organizers had hoped. The real effort, some say, will come in 2016, when an influential group is expected to substantially fund an initiative.

Read more...Arizona pot advocates set sights on ’16 ballot initiative

Pot, guns and paparazzi: New laws run gamut in US - Yahoo News

 

The new year is bringing a host of new laws taking effect in January or thereabouts. A look at some state and local laws that are making news:

ALCOHOL AND MARIJUANA

COLORADO, MAINE AND WASHINGTON: Colorado pot stores open Jan. 1 as retailers usher in the nation's first legal recreational pot industry. Sales in Washington, which also legalized recreational marijuana, are expected to start later in the year. The laws still fly in the face of federal drug rules, but the federal government has said it's not going to fight to shut down pot shops for now. A law legalizing recreational marijuana went into effect in early December in Portland, Maine, but it's largely symbolic because the state has said it will continue to enforce its own ban.

Read more...Pot, guns and paparazzi: New laws run gamut in US - Yahoo News

The Minimum Wage Debate Should Be About Poverty Not Jobs - Forbes

 

This week the debate over raising the minimum wage became a battle of two competing studies. First the White House’s Council of Economic Advisors came out with a briefing that was trumpeted for its claim that we could raise the minimum wage by almost 40 percent (from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour) with no loss in jobs. Then this week the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its own, nonpartisan, report which said the proposed minimum raise increase would result in 500,000 fewer jobs.

Read more...The Minimum Wage Debate Should Be About Poverty Not Jobs - Forbes

Colorado and Washington brace for ‘marijuana tourism’ surge | The Raw Story

 

Marijuana users in Colorado and Washington are counting down the hours before the western US states become the first to legalize recreational pot shops on January 1.

Blazing a trail they hope will be followed in other parts of the United States, cannabis growers and others are also rubbing their hands, while tax collectors are eyeing the revenue the newly-legalized trade will generate.

Enterprising companies are even offering marijuana tours to cash in on tourists expected to be attracted to a Netherlands-style pot culture — including in Colorado’s famous ski resorts.

Read more...Colorado and Washington brace for ‘marijuana tourism’ surge | The Raw Story

Teens shun synthetic marijuana for the real thing

 

Teens are shunning synthetic marijuana, such as K2 and Spice, but smoking more of the real thing, a national survey of more than 40,000 children in three grades found.

The number of high school seniors who said they used the synthetic drugs dropped sharply from 11% in 2012 to 8% in 2013, the Monitoring the Future survey, released Wednesday, found. A growing number of teens see the drugs as dangerous.

Perceptions of marijuana have slid in the other direction as fewer teens see the drug as harmful and more smoke it. In 2013, one in 15 seniors reported using marijuana daily, up from one in 50 in 1993, the survey found.

Read more...Teens shun synthetic marijuana for the real thing

Benson cartoons January to March 2014 - azcentral.com photos

Benson cartoons January to March 2014 - azcentral.com photos

Republicans eyeing a presidential run in 2016 start to open up to legalization of marijuana - Washington Times

 

Republicans eyeing the White House in 2016 are pushing their party to change its stance and accept a softening of federal marijuana laws — a dramatic shift from the GOP’s most recent contenders who railed against the drug and questioned its medicinal value.

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has arguably been the most vocal on the subject, saying the federal government should leave the issue entirely to the states. Texas Gov. Rick Perry also argues that marijuana’s legal status should be a state issue, and he points to drug courts in his state that he said have helped move Texas toward decriminalization.

Read more...Republicans eyeing a presidential run in 2016 start to open up to legalization of marijuana - Washington Times

Dana Goodyear: The Valley-Fever Menace : The New Yorker

Dust storms in the West stir up microscopic spores of the toxic soil-dwelling fungus Coccidioides immitis. The Centers for Disease Control reports a tenfold increase in infections, some of them fatal.

Read more...  http://m.newyorker.com/reporting/2014/01/20/140120fa_fact_goodyear?currentPage=all

Scottsdale council rejects bid for medical-marijuana bakery

 
The Scottsdale City Council has turned down a request to open a medical-marijuana bakery in the Scottsdale Airpark.

Pure Bliss Premium Medibles sought a conditional-use permit to operate the medical-marijuana kitchen at a site near Redfield and Hayden roads, which previously was approved for two dispensaries that never opened.

Read more...Scottsdale council rejects bid for medical-marijuana bakery

A Colorado marijuana guide: 64 answers to commonly asked questions - The Denver Post

On Jan. 1, Colorado became the first place anywhere in the world to allow legal marijuana sales to anybody over 21 for any purpose. You have questions about it works? Here are 64 answers (See what we did there? No? Keep reading.) to commonly asked questions.

Read more...A Colorado marijuana guide: 64 answers to commonly asked questions - The Denver Post

Arizona targets lax medical marijuana doctors | Arizona Capitol Times

Arizona health officials are looking to root out physicians who are improperly recommending medical marijuana for patients who claim to suffer from chronic pain.

As part of the effort, the state Department of Health Services wants to collect more nuanced information about those patients with chronic pain, The Arizona Republic reported in a story published Saturday.

Read more...Arizona targets lax medical marijuana doctors | Arizona Capitol Times